Dors of our little Church, of which one
sixth was taken. And it should be noted
that about the same number of our me
pers reside in the country, and were beyond
In my
the influence of the epidemic.
own family, all, but myself, were more or
less afflicted; but the Lord in his good.
ness spared us all except a dear child of
ten years old, who left behind an evidence
of her acceptance with her Saviour. My
wife recovered from a very dangerous at-
tack. O, may I praise and serve the Lord
for his goodness.

tude, I would again record the loving kindness of the Lord, manifested on a similar occasion, at New-Hope, Ind., commencing the 29th Aug., at a communion season. Christians, from the commence. ment of the services, felt that a blessing would be granted from on high; and they were not disappointed. Fourteen persons were received, for the first time, into the communion of the saints. Of these, there was one who had actively spent sixty-eight years in the service of this world. He, together with a grandson about fourteen years old, and others, stood before the congregation, and acknowledged their love to Christ, and determination to serve him the remainder of their days. There

During the six weeks prevalence of the pestilence, there was little opportunity to Our attend to public religious exercises. evening meetings were discontinued; but the Sabbath services were never relinquish-were several hopeful coverts, and others deeply anxious as to the salvation of their ed; nor was the Sabbath School. some weeks ours was the only meeting souls. in the village; and sometimes there appeared hardly to be a sufficient number

For

MISSOURI.

who could attend to justify preaching. From the Rev. B. F. Hoxey, Tate's, on

But the Lord sustained us.

Since the return of health there has at times been solemnity in our congregation, and several have indulged a hope in Christ, of whom some three or four have united with us; so that, with two or three who have come by letter, our number is, on the whole, enlarged.

LABOURERS WANTED.

Grand Prarie, Missouri.

de.

I stated, in my last letter, that the spirit of revival had, in a great measure, clined among us, and also my fears that a spiritual drought might come upon us. I am however happy to say, at the present time, that I do not believe a spirit of revival has been altogether wanting, since the awakening, a year ago last spring. I expect soon to organize (with the asAmid many discouragements, and much sistance of a brother or two) a church in declension, I believe the prayer of faith a settlement which I have formerly mentioned, ten miles out of Carrollton. The has not ceased to ascend from the altar of some hearts. I need not again say, that congregations increase there, and two persons, new converts, have asked to be in the neighbourhood of the main Church, we are almost entirely a settlement of prounited with the few professors in a Church. Another Church is expected to be form-fessors, and that consequently the strength ed in our county, on the south side, about midway between this and Alton.

ments.

There is great need of more labour in this county. It is impossible for one minister to do half enough for half the settleI have often thought it would be a happy arrangement to have brother Herrick reside here, and labour in conjunction with myself in all parts of the county. He is remembered with affection by many, and inquiries are often made whether he will not return. Good im pressions have been made by his labours, which imperceptibly prepared the way for subsequent efforts.

of our Church cannot be brought so im
mediately to bear upon impenitent men,
as it would if the number of impenitent
Our meetings,
were greater among us.
for the last two months, have been more
interesting, and have exhibited more fer-
vency in prayer, than was seen in our
meetings the early part of the season.

from any regular preaching. The num. it appears to me evident, that a good camp ber of persons present, on the Sabbath, ground, with its provisions, is the best was between a thousand and twelve hun.security against disorder, in a time of re dred; and among this number of persons, there was less moving, and less noise, than I have frequently seen in this coun try, at a meeting where two or three hun. dred persons were assembled. Without further details, the effect of the meeting was in every way good-leaving a valua ble impression on the public mind, which will not soon be forgotten. Brothers Cochran, M'Afee, and Holt, (recently from Virginia,) were present, and assisted in the meeting.

The week following, I attended a meeting in Marion county, at Dr. Nelson's camp ground. The interest, at this last meeting, exceeded what we had dared to hope. The meeting continued six days. The congregation was orderly, and very attentive during the meeting. Supposed to be not less than seventy cases of conversion. Audience, on Sunday, a thou. sand or more.

ligious excitement. These are the facts to which I allude. During the time of great excitement in Kentucky, and the western part of Virginia, some twenty years since, or more, the people assembled at the place of preaching from great dis. tances round, coming with their teams and provisions, and staying on the ground for days. In these meetings there was often a great want of order testified by those who attended them. We could in. fer no less, knowing the circumstances under which the people were assembled. How shall we prevent a like concurrence of things in Missouri, if great religious excitement should rise and collect people from a great distance? This difficulty, to my mind, is removed, by the provisions of the camp ground. Twelve or fifteen hundred people can be accommodated, and perfect order preserved, by a feeble Church, in a camp meeting. But if this number of persons are drawn together by a religious excitement, and are left to pursue the course of conduct which inclination, or caprice, or passion, may dictate, with no other accommodation than their covered wagons, it needs not the gift of prophecy to see that all will not be right.

MISSISSIPPI.

Eastern people have some doubts about the expediency of camp meetings, and raise many objections to them, on the ground that they furnish an occasion for disorder and improper conduct. These, and various other like objections, once had their full influence upon my mind, and induced me to believe that such meetings were inexpedient. These objections have been dissipated by experiment and observation. There is, in my apprehension, no more necessity for disorder and improper conduct at camp meetings, than at four days meetings; and, in a scattered population, such as we more commonly find in this country, I believe that better order may be preserved at a camp meeting, than at a four days meeting, which would assemble the same number of persons. A Presbyterian camp meeting has Presbyte. rian order in it. I have seen persons of other denominations, who, when at their own places of worship, felt at liberty to get up, and go out, and saunter about, feel, when in a Presbyterian camp meeting, that the order and sentiment of the people they were among, would not permit the indulgence to which they had been accustomed in their own places of worship. Camp meetings may be abused; but this is no argument that they are not good when well used. In a scattered popula-ceedingly destitute of devoted, intellition, it is impossible to accommodate a gent servants of Christ in the ministry. thousand or twelve hundred people with- A large portion of our state (more than out a canip ground, and its accompanying one half) hitherto inhabited by the Inprovisions. From facts which I have dians, will be brought into market immegathered since I have been in the country,diately, and the emigration to this state

From a Layman, Amsterdam, Mississippi.

Will not the A. H. M. S. do something for Mississippi? We have now a popula tion of one hundred and fifty thousand, and only seven Presbyterian minis. ters, wholly devoted to the work of the ministry. There are several other Presbyterian ministers engaged in teaching, plant||ing, &c., who preach occasionally, but I have long since learned to place but little reliance on the efficiency of this class of ministers.

Independent of the ministers which I have mentioned, we have several (I do not know how many) intelligent and laborious Methodist ministers, and a few Baptists. But after making a full allowance for what all denominations of Christians are doing for Mississippi, I think it must be acknowledged by all that our state is ex

will be great. Our population will, no doubt, double within the next ten years, and if it be easier to forestall than to suppress evil, then is it important to supply the newly settled portions of our state with the ministry of the Gospel; and there is one fact which I wish your Society to bear in mind, that is, the A. H. M. S. has not a single missionary in Mississippi, while a very large proportion of our Churches are in favour of your missionary operations.

FROM THE SAME.

not two or three years hence-for then it will be too late, but what can you do for us now? this year? I perceive you have sent to an adjoining state-Tennessee-a state much better supplied with ministers than Mississippi, eleven missionaries, and that your receipts from that state during the last year, was $123 90. If you will send eleven missionaries to Mississippi, (and we need that number, and can give them immediate employment,) I should feel perfectly safe in guaranteeing that your receipts would be one thousand dollars from this state during the year, and I have every confidence that you would receive $2000. The Mississippians are a liberal people.

TENNESSEE.

Tenn.

REVIVALS.

My field of labour is somewhat changed, and my whole time is devoted to Eusebia and Lebanon Churches, and all the rest of the field has to be left vacant for want of labourers. Lebanon Church lies in the fork of Houlston and French Broad Rivers. This Church had almost been without the means of grace for some years, till last January. At a sacramental meeting at this place the last Sabbath in May, the Lord began to revive his work. The interest among the people was so great, that arrangements were made for a two days meeting, which began July 12th, near three miles from the Church, on the south side of the river, and continued for six days. The number of additions, during the meeting, was 44; and between 80 and 100 hopeful and anxious. The meet||ing was brought to a close, while the people were very desirous to have it continued; but necessity from other calls required it to be closed. The ministers who assisted on the occasion were, Dr. Doke, Rev. Messrs. Montgomery and Nelson. The work is still going on; between 80 and 100 have become hopefully pious. At Eusebia Church a glorious work has commenced at two meetings: one a sacra

From the name of your Society, and from your constitution, one would sup. pose that it was designed for the benefit of the whole American people, yet here is a state, parts of which have been set. tled for fifty years, containing a popula. From Rev. Robert H. Snoddy, Sevier Co., tion of 130,000, almost wholly destitute of an educated ministry, for which the American Home Missionary Society has done nothing!!-and this, notwithstanding repeated applications have been made to you for aid!! And in one instance $300, and in another $400, has been offered for a missionary from your Society. I really cannot account for the neglect with which Mississippi has been treated. I sincerely hope your Society will pursue a different course towards us in future, and, my dear brother, if you ever intend to aid us now is the time. While population is flowing in upon us, and society is forming, let us give it a proper character by settling ministers of the Gospel. I view the present, as an im. portant crisis in the moral history of our state. That portion of our territory now in the occupancy of the Choctaws and Chicasaws, but to which the Indian title is extinguished, and which the Government is bringing into market immediately, constitutes more than half of our state, and a great portion of it is fine cotton land, and very convenient to steam-boat navi. gation, having 300 miles of Mississippi river coast, and many navigable streams running through it; and, what is a greater desideratum at the south, it is favourably situated for health; the interior being well watered, elevated, and free from swamps or marshes. This being the cha-ment, and the other a two days meeting, racter of the country, and it being sur rounded on all sides, by a country overflowing with population, and anxious to emigrate; the supposition is a reasonable one, that it will be populated with unpa. ralelled rapidity. How important then, in the incipient state of things, to Chris. tianize this portion of Mississippi. Now, my brother, what can you do for us?

the 3d Sabbath of August, and 1st Sabbath in September. Twenty-four have been added, and only one by certificate. The ministers that attended were, Dr. Doke, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Pope, and Rev. D. Hoyt. Thus the Lord has seen fit to bless his cause in the Churches where I labour, and to his name be the praise.

From the Rev. Jesse Wimpy, Anderson ||not inform you that, in extent, Arkansas

county, Tenn.

HOW TO BUILD CHURCHES AMONG THE DES-
TITUTE IN TENNESSEE.

ranks among the largest states in the union, and that it is destined, at no distant day, to become a populous member of the onfederacy. The present population is a fraction more than forty thousand. For supplying these forty thousand with religious instruction, the Presbyterian Church have two labourers in the field.

One has been stationed between four and five years at Little Rock, and the other has settled, during the present season, in Jackson, the seat of justice of Izard coun

I was directed to this place in the pro. vidence of God, by the fact, that an aged lady, a member of the Presbyterian Church, resides in this part of the country. It is her ardent desire, that the Gospel may be preached to them; and her connexions will, at least, not discountenance it. I have at last succeeded in getting the peo-ty. ple in one neighbourhood to make some effort to provide a place for preaching. All the provisions consist in what is call. ed "a shed." Some posts are sunk in the ground, and on the top of these posts, is built a cabin roof, covered with clap-boards that shield us from the beams of the sun and from the rain. But it cannot be used

in the winter season. In this place I have organized a Sabbath School and a Bible Class of thirteen members, and might have had a number more, if they

had been able to read.

Other parts of the territory are not altogether destitute of Gospel ordinances, and Churches of other denominations. And some of their clergymen are doing good; but many of them are so utterly deficient, both in mental and moral qualifications, that it would be well for the cause of truth and righteousness if they were any thing rather than preachers of the Gospel.

If, in the selection of fields of labour for your missionaries, you give the preference to the most destitute, I am sure that your Society will not longer overlook this territory. At the last session of Congress, a bill was passed, authorizing the Govern or of this territory to sell 12,800 acres of

At this place I held a four days meeting, including the third Sabbath of July. Several of iny brethren came to assist. There was much feeling, and a few hopeful con-choice land, to commence an institution,

versions.

The people, around the place where I preached, in the edge of Campbell county, have promised to build a shed, if I will only preach in that settlement. Here Iit. expect to form a Sabbath School, if I can obtain books. This place is about 14 miles from the place where the shed has been built.

EFFECTS OF CIRCULATING THE BIble.

Since the circulation of the Bible in this county, there appears to be a growing anxiety for a common school education; but the opportunities for mere common school instruction are so poor, that some of the more enlightened talk of selling out, and removing to places where they can have their children educated.

ARKANSAS TERRITORY.

which is to form the nucleus of a college. This institution will be committed to the hands of almost any individuals who are on the ground and capable of conducting Another motive, which, I think, should be well considered by your Society, is the influence which your missionaries would incidentally exert upon the labours of the American Board among the Indians on our borders. You must be sensible of the great obstacles which the missionaries among the Indians meet with, from the immoral example of the bordering whites; hence one reason for the wide difference in the success of the Indian and Sandwich Island missions. To remove this obstacle, let the American Board and the Home Missionary Society act in concert, and whereever the former plants a standard among the Indians, let the latter take a settlement among the contiguous whites; and, by acting in concert, their influence will be in a compound ratio to isolated

From Mr. A. W. Lyon, Dwight, Pope Co., efforts.
A. T., Sept., 1833.

A GREAT FIELD FOR LAPOURERS.

As the period will shortly arrive, when you are expected to send forth a number of missionaries, to labour in different parts of the country, allow me to call your attention to this destitute territory. I need

We need at least three from your So. ciety immediately. One should be sent to Washington county, which joins Missouri and the Cherokee nation, and now contains more than six thousand sculs, another to Crawford, the most western county in the territory, and joining the Cherokee and Choctaw countries, and the

THE HOME MISSIONARY.